A Road Map for Helping Students of the Joint First Year to Choose Their Major

His Excellency the Vice President of the University for Educational Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Suruji, inaugurated the Annual Forum for Choosing Majors for students of the Joint First Year for the academic year 1439/1440 A.H. at King Abdulaziz Historical Hall, Umm Al-Qura University. The forum was attended by the college deans, the Dean of the Joint First Year, Dr. Sa`d Ali Al-Ghamdi, and the vice deans of colleges and deanships.

You could describe the scientific annual forum for choosing majors as an informative road map that informs students of the Joint First Year about the programs and departments of scientific colleges and helps them make the right decision in a way that agrees with their desires, abilities, and aspirations. One of the guidance tools that was offered during the forum was a virtual medical game to show students how to deal with surgical cases and perform operations.

The Dean of the Joint First Year, Dr. Sa`d Al-Ghamdi, asserted that the forum aimed at showing students the path to choosing a suitable major, in a way that is in line with the strategic goals of the Ministry of Education according to the National Transformation Program 2020 and Saudi Vision 2030. This is in order to promote the ability of the educational system to meet the demands of development and the needs of the labor market, and to develop and make use of the skills of youth.

He pointed out that the deanship has exerted great efforts to employ all its abilities to serve the students by offering academic courses side by side with students' activities according to the standards of quality and distinction, which has a positive effect on students.

He added that the students of the deanship managed to gain 7 academic awards, 4 of which were first places at the Tenth Scientific Meeting that was held recently. He praised the care and support of his Excellency the President of the University, and the continuous follow-up of the Vice President for Educational Affairs. Moreover, the Vice President for Educational Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Suruji, indicated that the forum is a good opportunity for students to enquire about anything they want to know. He added that it is a very important day for students, as it is related to defining their academic majors. He also urged them to gather as much information as possible before making any decision.

The University Vice President for Educational Affairs honored the ex-vice deans of the Joint First Year, Dr. Ahmad Khashaim and Dr. Ahmad Al-Zahrani. The forum's activities then commenced, starting with a number of training courses, success stories, lectures relating to choosing majors and determining streams, information about electronic enrollment after passing the Joint First Year, and a meeting between students and the deans of the colleges who participated in the program.